Truck bed hitch attachment

ABSTRACT

An above-bed structure having two or more feet is attached into a bed of a truck using inserts which can be removed or retracted to provide a flat, unobstructed truck bed. Each insert includes an above-bed cleat portion and a below-bed peg portion which is received in a below-bed socket. Each insert is received first vertically without substantial rotation into its socket and then by rotation to a terminal point wherein the insert is vertically held by the socket. The above bed structure is then placed onto the inserts such that the feet mate with the inserts to prevent the inserts from rotating away from their terminal point, thus preventing the inserts from being removed from their sockets. The attachment can be completed by inserting mounting pins into aligned holes on the cleat portions and the feet. In one embodiment, the feet are supported on a bed place section of the insert which is offset from the rotational axis of the insert.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

The present application is a continuing application from U.S.application Ser. No. 13/205,438 entitled TRUCK BED HITCH ATTACHMENTfiled Aug. 8, 2011, and claims priority from U.S. ProvisionalApplication Nos. 61/371,577 entitled TRUCK BED HITCH ATTACHMENT filedAug. 6, 2010, and 61/376,895 entitled OFFSET TRUCK BED HITCH ATTACHMENTfiled Aug. 25, 2010, both incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to hitch configurations or similarstructures mounted in the bed of a pickup truck. In particular, thepresent invention applies to heavy duty towing segments which useunderbed mount options for mounting in the bed of a pickup truck.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Pick-up trucks have a bed which is used for hauling a wide variety ofdifferent things. For many hauling chores (such as carrying sheets ofplywood or dry wall, for instance), the owner desires the bed of thepickup truck to present a relatively flat surface. Other chores use astructure, such as a fifth wheel hitch or a gooseneck hitch, whichextends above the plane of the pick-up truck bed but is supported orattached through the pick-up truck bed to the underlying frame of thetruck. Fifth wheel and gooseneck hitches are more stable thanbumper-pull hitches because they are connected to the truck above therear axle so that the added load of the trailer is applied to rear axleand the pivot of the trailer is at or slightly in front of the rearaxle.

Often the bed mounted devices are attached at two or more locations downinto the bed of the truck. Some owners desire to be able to switchbetween such uses, requiring a flat bed at some times and mountingsomething above the flat bed surface at other times. Accordingly,mounting structures extending above the flat bed surface are preferredto be retractable or easily removable to readily switch to a flat bedconfiguration.

The most common arrangements are bolted into threaded holes or anchorsin or beneath the pick-up bed. Attaching the bolts requires multipleturns of the bolt (so the attachment is secured by multiple threadturns), commonly involving a specified torque applied to the bolts sothe bolts don't vibrate loose but without stripping the threads.

More recently, removable/retractable attachment structures have beenused which can be changed more quickly than bolted attachments. U.S.Pat. Nos. 6,467,791, 6,502,846, 7,121,573, 7,234,905, 7,793,968 and7,828,317, all incorporated by reference, disclose examples ofnon-threaded mounting arrangements in the bed of the pick-up truck whichcan be quickly removed to provide a flat bed configuration. Mountingarrangements which are stronger, more reliable, less costly and/oreasier to employ are needed.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a structure and method for attaching anabove-bed structure having two or more feet into a bed of a truck, usinginserts which can be removed or retracted to provide a flat,unobstructed truck bed. At least two, and more preferably four socketsare supported on the underbed frame. Each insert includes an above-bedcleat portion and a below-bed peg portion which is received in a socket.Each insert is received first vertically without substantial rotationinto its socket and then by rotation to a terminal point wherein theinsert is vertically held by the socket. The above bed structure is thenplaced onto the inserts such that the feet mate with the inserts toprevent the inserts from rotating away from their terminal point, thuspreventing the inserts from being removed from their sockets. In apreferred embodiment, the above bed cleat portion defines a mounting pinhole which is offset from a rotational axis of the insert in the socket.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view from above showing a preferred embodimentof an offset attachment insert in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a first perspective assembly view showing an example of usingfour of the offset attachment inserts of FIG. 1 to attach an above bedfifth wheel hitch to the rails of a below bed folding ball gooseneckhitch.

FIG. 3 is a second perspective assembly view, showing the attachment ofFIG. 2 after the offset attachment structures have been lowered into thesockets and rotated to a secured position for the above bed fifth wheelhitch.

FIG. 4 is a side view, with the insert shown as transparent for betterviewing of the foot, showing the versatility of the offset attachmentinsert of FIG. 1 to secure different above-bed structures.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view from above showing a second preferredembodiment of an offset attachment insert and socket in accordance withthe present invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the offset attachment insert ofFIG. 5 locked into the socket.

FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the socket and offset attachment insert ofFIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a side view of an attachment insert in accordance with a thirdembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 9-9 in FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a side view of an attachment insert in accordance with afourth embodiment of the present invention, showing the socket and bedfloor in cross-section.

While the above-identified drawing figures set forth preferredembodiments, other embodiments of the present invention are alsocontemplated, some of which are noted in the discussion. In all cases,this disclosure presents the illustrated embodiments of the presentinvention by way of representation and not limitation. Numerous otherminor modifications and embodiments can be devised by those skilled inthe art which fall within the scope and spirit of the principles of thisinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows an offset attachment insert 10 in accordance with thepresent invention. In this preferred form, the insert 10 primarilyconsists of a peg portion 12 extending from a cleat portion 14. In mostuses, the insert 10 is placed with the cleat portion 14 riding on orimmediately above the relatively horizontal bed floor 16 (shown in FIG.4) of the pickup truck, with the peg portion 12 extending beneath thehorizontal plane of the bed 16 into a socket 18 (shown in FIGS. 2-4).The peg portion 12 defines a peg axis 20 which extends generallyvertically, with the preferred peg portion 12 being mostly cylindricalother than having a locking channel 22 defined therein. In the preferredembodiment shown in FIG. 1, the groove or locking channel 22 has a “T”shape, including a vertically extending drop portion 24, and a clockwiseextending rotation portion 26 and a counterclockwise extending rotationportion 28 joined to the upper end of the drop portion 24. In thepreferred embodiment, each rotation portion 26, 28 terminates with aslight terminal recess 30 on its upper edge.

The preferred cleat portion 14 provides two attachment flanges 32 in afork arrangement around an attachment slot 34. Each of the attachmentflanges 32 has a mounting pin hole 36. The mounting pin hole 36 definesa mounting pin axis 38. In this embodiment, the mounting pin axis 38 hasa horizontal offset 40 relative to the peg axis 20. A bed plate section42 providing a relatively flat weight-bearing surface is between theattachment flanges 32 and below the mounting pin holes 36 to define thebottom of the attachment slot 34. If desired, the bed plate section 42could be omitted, permitting the above-bed hitch structure to contactand ride directly on the bed 16 of the pickup truck. Including a bedplate section 42 on the insert 10 makes for a stronger fork and helpsprotect the bed 16 of the pickup truck by spreading out the weight (orother downward bearing force) of the foot 50 over a larger area as wellas supporting some of the weight of the foot 50 with the socket 18.

In this embodiment, the center line 44 of the attachment slot 34 is inline with and intersects the peg axis 20, but the attachment slot 34could alternatively be angled relative to the peg axis 20 for attachingother above-bed structures. This shape of cleat portion 14 isparticularly appropriate for use in replacing the universal fifth wheelattachment base rails sold by Curt Manufacturing, Inc. of Eau Claire,Wis. as part number C16100, so the attachment slot 34 is just over ½inch wide (such as 0.56 inches) and the mounting pin holes 36 are justover ½ inch in diameter. With the insert 10 formed of steel and theattachment flanges 32 each being about ½ inch thick, four of the inserts10 can be used in fifth wheel hitch kits rated up to 24,000 lbs. Commonfeet 50 for above-bed hitch structure are formed of ½ inch thick platesteel, which mates into the 0.56″ wide attachment slot 34 with 0.06″clearance.

An example assembly view of such a use is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. Inthis case, the under-bed support structure is selected to be similar tothe structure disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/904,479,filed Oct. 14, 2010 and entitled “Fifth-Wheel Folding Hitch”,incorporated by reference. This folding ball hitch 46 is commerciallyprovided with a wide variety of install kits for different makes andmodels of pickup trucks. An under-bed support structure such asdisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,533,308, incorporated by reference, andnumerous other types of under-bed support structures could alternativelybe used.

The above-bed structure in this example is a fifth wheel hitch 48disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,475,899, incorporated by reference. Thehitch 48 includes at least two, and in this case four feet 50, each ofwhich is sized to be received in the attachment slot 34 of an insert 10.Feet 50 are largely shown in hidden lines in FIGS. 2 and 3, and theirstructural attachment to the rest of the above-bed structure is known inthe art. Each foot 50 includes a mounting pin hole 51 which is generallythe same size as the mounting pin holes 36 on the insert 10. Numerousother types of above-bed structures could alternatively be mounted usingthe inserts 10 of the present invention, such as the roller structure ofU.S. Pat. No. 7,584,982, incorporated by reference, and many others. Inthe preferred embodiment shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the feet 50 of theabove-bed structure 48 define a rectangle of about 22×29 inches.However, essentially any above-bed structure having feet could beconfigured to be mounted in the bed 16 of the pickup truck using two ormore inserts 10 of the present invention. While the terms “under-bed”and “above-bed” are used to describe these various components, it shouldbe noted that the present invention can also be equivalently used ontrucks without a bed 16.

The preferred underbed support structure includes two transverse supportrails 52 extending between side mounting brackets 54 which areconfigured with holes 56 to mount to the underbed frame (not shown) ofthe pickup truck. Four sockets 18 for the peg portions 12 of the inserts10 are mounted to the support rails 52, two from each rail 52 in aspaced rectangular configuration, such that in this embodiment thesupport rails 52 become part of the underbed frame for the sockets 18.The spacing for the four sockets 18 is selected to match with thedesired above-bed mounting locations in a manner corresponding to theoffset 40, as will be explained. For instance, in the preferredembodiment the sockets 18 are placed in a rectangular pattern spaced 22inches in the fore-aft direction and spaced about 24¾ inches apart inthe width-wise direction. For some applications (particularlylight-weight applications), the sockets 18 could be used and mountedrelative to the bed 16 of the pickup truck in other ways without evenusing the two support rails 52.

Each socket 18 has an interior shape which corresponds to the shape ofthe mating peg portion 12. The sockets 18 for the preferred inserts 10thus each include a cylindrical hole having a diameter slightly largerthan the outer diameter of the cylindrical peg portion 12. A lockprojection 58 protrudes inward on the socket 18, with the lockprojection 58 being of a size and position to mate with the lockingchannel 22 on the insert 10. In the preferred embodiment, the lockprojection 58 is provided by a bullet dowel (one version being shownmore clearly in the embodiment of FIG. 9).

The method of using the present invention can thus be understood withreference to FIGS. 2 and 3. First the folding ball hitch 46 is mountedin the bed of the pickup truck as known in the art. During installationof the folding ball hitch 46 into the pickup truck, the bed 16 of thepickup truck may be further cut or drilled such that the holes in thesockets 18 are accessible from above. The user aligns the verticallyextending drop portions 24 of the locking channels 22 with the lockprojections 58, which in this embodiment places the two fore inserts 10with the attachment slot 34 oriented forward relative to the peg portion12 and places the two aft inserts 10 with the attachment slot 34oriented rearward relative to the peg portion 12. The user drops theinsert 10 with its peg portion 12 downward into each of the sockets 18.Once dropped in place, the user then rotates each insert 90° about thepeg axis 20, so the attachment slots 34 on the inserts 10 are at thedesired position and orientation to mate with the feet 50 on theabove-bed structure 48. In this preferred embodiment, the aft left andfore right inserts 10 are rotated counterclockwise, while the aft rightand fore left inserts 10 are rotated clockwise (looking from above). Theslight terminal recess 30 helps the user to know when the insert 10 hasbeen fully rotated.

The user then places the above-bed structure 48 downward with each ofthe feet 50 within a corresponding attachment slot 34. The slightterminal recess 30 also helps the insert 10 to remain in its properrotational position during lowering of the above-bed structure 48 intothe attachment slots 34. Once all four feet 50 are in the slots 34, theabove-bed structure 48 can be slid slightly to the left or the right sothe mounting pin holes 51 in the feet 50 line up with the mounting pinholes 36 in the cleat portions 14.

As familiar in the art and as previously practiced using the C16100 baserails, the user secures each foot 50 by inserting a mounting pin 60through the mounting pin holes 36, 51 in both the cleat portion 14 andthe foot 50, and secures each mounting pin 60 in place with its cotterpin or hairpin clip 62. Once the inserts 10 are secured to their feet50, the feet 50 on the above-bed hitch structure 48 prevent the inserts10 from rotating away from their terminal point and thus prevent theinserts 10 from being removed from their sockets 18. As used herein, theterm “terminal point” is used to indicate the location in the lockingchannel wherein the insert is rotated so the alignment recess (orsimilar structure) mates with the orientation of the base feet 50, whichis not necessarily the location of the slight terminal recess 30 or thefurthest point of rotational travel. While the preferred embodimentshave an L or T shape, it should be noted that the horizontal portion ofthe locking channel could circumscribe the peg portion 12. The importantconsideration is that the vertically oriented portion of the lockingchannel not be circumferentially aligned with the final holding positionof the insert. That is, the rotational orientation of the insert when itis lowered into or raised out of the socket (during at least part of thevertical travel) must be different than the rotational orientation ofthe insert when it is holding an above-bed hitch, and the lockingchannel can be made in any configuration that accomplishes this result.

At least two inserts 10 must support a single above-bed hitch structure48. The inserts 10 only receive the above-bed hitch structure 48 whenthey are rotated to a position relative to the socket 18 that theycannot be raised or lowered, i.e., in this case when rotated until thelock projection 58 resides substantially at the terminal end of thehorizontal portion 26, 28 of the “T” shaped locking channel 22. Theabove-bed hitch structure 48 then prevents all of the supporting inserts10 from rotating out of their locked position. The inserts 10 thusjointly secure the above-bed hitch structure 48 in place because theabove-bed hitch structure 48 prevents the inserts 10 from rotating,while any single insert 10, acting by itself, can be pulled out of thesocket 18 simply by rotation and lifting.

In the preferred embodiment, the centerline 44 of the attachment slot 34intersects the rotational axis 20 defined by the peg portion 12 (and theentire insert 10 has bilateral symmetry). Because the centerline 44intersects the rotational axis 20 and with the orientation of theT-shaped locking channel 22, the insert 10 can be placed into the socket18 and the rotated 90° in either direction. The “T” shape of thepreferred locking channel 22 allows each insert 10 to be equivalentlyused in any of the four positions, despite the fact that two inserts 10are rotated counterclockwise and two inserts 10 are rotated clockwise totheir locked positions.

The “T” shape of the preferred locking channel 22 provides an additionalbenefit, best seen with reference to FIG. 4. Namely, while the inserts10 of FIG. 3 are all positioned with the attachment slots 34 at a stancewider than the sockets 18 (providing, in the preferred embodiment,attachment slots 34 in a roughly 22×29 inch rectangle), other above-bedstructures can be attached with the attachment slots 34 in otherpositions. In the preferred embodiment, the offset 40 is about 2 inches.The top section of the T-shape provides two terminal locations for theinsert 10 which are 180° apart to thereby provide equivalent pin holes36 and attachment slots 34 at either of two locations spaced roughly2+2=4 inches apart from the center of the socket 18. FIG. 4 shows indashed lines a second position of the insert 10, wherein the attachmentslot 34 is offset 4 inches relative to the solid line position. When theinsert 10 is rotated far in one direction (clockwise when looking fromabove), the offset 40 of the insert 10 is about 2 inches to the left;when the insert 10 is rotated far in the other direction(counterclockwise when looking from above), the offset 40 of the insert10 is about 2 inches to the right. This effectively provides fourdifferent mounting arrangements using the inserts 10, each to receivefeet of the above-bed structure extending transverse to the direction oftravel: a) a wide position (such as about 22×29 inch spacing), whereinall the attachment slots 34 are at a wider stance than the socketpositions; b) a left position (such as about 22×25 inch spacing),wherein all the attachment slots 34 are left of the sockets 18; c) aright position (such as about 22×25 inch spacing), wherein all theattachment slots 34 are right of the sockets 18; and d) a narrowposition (such as about 22×21 inch spacing), wherein all the attachmentslots 34 are at a narrower stance than the sockets 18. This can allow awider variety of above-bed and below bed structures to be used with theinserts 10 and sockets 18, i.e., above-bed structures which require awider or narrower stance, and below-bed structures for particular modelsof pickup trucks which might restrict the permissible locations for thesockets 18.

Thus far we have been considering the flexibility provided by theinserts 10 when both the insert 10 has an attachment slot 34 in linewith the pin axis 38 and when the feet 50 on the above-bed structure aretransverse to the direction of travel. In other embodiments, one or bothof these configurations can be changed. For instance, the feet on theabove-bed structure could be aligned with the direction of travel, orthe slot on the insert could be normal to the offset direction. Ineither arrangement, with the preferred inserts having an offset 40 ofabout 2 inches, such inserts could be used to mount a fifth wheel hitchwith its feet either about 2 inches forward or about 2 inches behind thesockets 18, i.e., at forward and rearward locations spaced relative tothe rear axle of the vehicle by about 4 inches. This flexibility isagain useful for some models of vehicles wherein existing under-bedstructures of the vehicle restrict the desired placement of the socketsand inserts.

Further flexibility benefits can be achieved such as by having adifferent embodiment of offset insert (not shown), with offsets in twodirections, namely, offsets both relative to the rotation axis andrelative to the alignment recess direction. For instance, the pinreceiving openings of the feet of a different above-bed structure (notshown) could be spaced 14 inches in the fore-aft direction and spacedabout 20.5 inches in the width-wise direction. A set of offset insertscould be built having an offset in the direction of the alignment slotof about 2⅛ inches and having an offset transverse to the direction ofthe alignment slot of about 2 inches, so the alignment slot was roughlyat a 45° angle relative to a line between its location and the peg axis20. Sockets could be positioned in a rectangular pattern spaced about 18inches in the fore-aft direction and spaced about 24¾ inches in thewidthwise direction and spaced. Then the doubly offset inserts could beused, rotated to an inside and short position, to hold the differentabove-bed structure (with about a 14×20½ inch base), or rotated to anoutside and long position to hold the first existing (22×29) hitch base.

While the preferred embodiment includes a locking channel 22 in theinsert 10 and a bullet dowel 58 extending to be received in the lockingchannel 22, that arrangement could easily be reversed. FIGS. 5-7represent such an embodiment. The embodiment of FIGS. 5-7 has aprojection 158 on the insert 110 extending radially outward to mate in agroove 122 provided in the socket 118. In this embodiment, the groove122 is “L” shaped. From the position with the projection aligned withthe vertical drop section 124 of the “L” shape 122 shown in FIG. 5, theinsert 110 is rotated up to 180° to the locked position shown in FIGS. 6and 7. Also in this embodiment, instead of an attachment slot 34 thereis an attachment recess 134 which prevents the foot 50 from slidingsideways as well as securing the foot 50 from front to back. With theend walls 164, 166 on the attachment recess 134, initially dropping theabove-bed structure into place requires more precision, but then themounting pin holes 36 on the flanges 32 and the mounting pin holes 51 onthe feet 50 always line up and there is no sliding of the above-bedstructure 48 from side to side.

The insert 210 in the embodiment of FIGS. 8 and 9 includes the bulletdowel 58 of the embodiment of FIGS. 1-4, but in this case the cleatportion 214 does not include any offset 40, i.e., the axis 38 of themounting pin hole 36 and the axis 20 of the peg 12 intersect. Withoutany offset 40, each foot 50 (shown in FIGS. 2 and 3) attaches in placedirectly in line over the socket 18. The direct in-line configurationrequires the entirety of the weight of the above-bed structure 48 to bebourn by the socket 18 rather than transferring any of the weight to thebed floor 16.

FIG. 9 also shows an access hole 264 drilled in a side of the socket 18for assembly placement of the bullet dowel 58 into a drilled hole 266 inthe opposite side of the socket 18. While drilling a horizontal throughhole 264 and adding a bullet dowel 58 is one method of manufacturing tocreate the projection, other methods are equally viable, such as castingor machining to define the profile of the insert 10, 110, 210 or socket18, 118 with the projection 58, 158. As another example, the projectioncould be provided as a flat plate over a part of a cylindrical hole,with the locking channel provided as a mating flat on the distal end ofone side of the peg portion followed by a circumferentially orientedgroove.

The embodiment of FIGS. 8 and 9 also shows a different way of attachingthe socket 18 relative to the underbed structure of the pickup truck, inthis case wherein the socket 18 is fixed onto an underlying supportplate 268. The support plate 268 preferably includes a drain hole 270 toprevent fluid such as rain water from occupying the hole in the socket18 during outdoor use when the insert 210 is removed.

In the embodiments of FIGS. 1-9, the inserts 10, 110, 210 can be freelylifted out of the sockets 18, 118, making the inserts 10, 110, 210 moreeasily replaceable. To make the inserts 10, 110, 210 freely removable,the vertical portion 24, 124 of the locking channel 22, 122 extendsfully through the bottom end of the peg portion 12 or top end of thesocket 118. In another embodiment shown in FIG. 10, the socket 18 forthe insert 310 can receive the insert 310 at two different supportedheights, one wherein the cleat portion 314 of the insert 310 extendsabove the bed 16 as depicted in FIG. 10, and a second, stowed positionwherein the cleat portion 314 of the insert 310 resides below the truckbed 16. Note that the opening through the truck bed 16 must be largeenough for the cleat portion 314 to pass. The stowed position of theinserts 310 allows unobstructed access across the bed 16 of the truckwithout removing the inserts 310 from their sockets 318. In thispreferred embodiment, the locking channel 322 of the insert 310 has aleg 372 extending upward from the horizontal portion 326 of the “L”shape, with the bullet dowel 58 residing in this upwardly extending leg372 to enable the insert 310 to drop down. Additionally, the terminalrecess 330 may be made more pronounced and angled, so the insert dropsfurther into place and will not rotate away from the terminal pointwithout being lifted to have the lock projection 58 clear the lockingchannel 322. In this case, the bullet dowel 58 is placed into positionafter assembly of the insert 310 in the socket 318, and the insert canonly be fully removed from the socket 318 by first removing the bulletdowel 58. Alternatively, a further downwardly extending leg (not shown)may be added to the groove 322, at a different circumferential locationthan the terminal point, to enable the insert 310 to be removed from thesocket 318.

The flexibility provided by the offset 40 can also be used beneficiallyto clear the sockets from underbed obstructions. That is, structurelocated underneath the bed in some makes/models of pickup trucks maymake the desired placement of the sockets 18, 318 impossible. Thesockets 18, 318 can be located at a possible unobstructed positionnearby, and inserts used so the above-bed positioning of the hitch basepin holes can be obtained with the inserts. Inserts can be made with anoffset 40 as sized for any particular vehicle, and thereby convert in alow cost solution to virtually any required underbed socket spacing.

The offset concept provides tremendous flexibility in use of the insert.Under the theory that any three nonlinear points define a circle, asingle set of identical offset inserts could be used to mount threedifferent sizes of hitch bases rather than only two. The design processwould be to match circles to the bed locations of the three differenthitch base foot prints. The sockets 18, 318 are positioned at the centerof the matched circles, and the offset 40 is the radius of the matchedcircle. If used to mount three different sizes of hitch bases, theorientation of the base feet 50 and the pin hole 51 in the base feet 50might need to be modified to match the orientation of the alignmentrecess. However, the important consideration is that the width andlength between the base feet 50 locations is no longer determined by thelocations of rails 52 (22 inches apart), or by the locations ofobstructing underbed structure. Rather, the hitch designer is free todesign the location of the base feet 50 for best structural performanceand cost considerations of the hitch. The offset inserts can then beused to get from virtually any above-bed base feet spacing to virtuallyany underbed socket spacing, at a very low cost. Moreover, merely byusing a second set of inserts with a different amount of offset 40, orby using inserts each with a different offset 40, the cleat locationscan be spaced anywhere desired within the bed of the truck.

While the preferred embodiments have a fork with two legs or flanges 32,one in position to contact each side of the foot 50 of the hitch base,it should be noted that a similar result could be accomplished with onlya single leg. The important consideration is that, when the hitch issecured, the base feet 50 must mate with the insert 10, 110, 210, 310sufficiently to prevent the insert 10, 110, 210, 310 from rotating toits raising/lowering orientation.

Although the present invention has been described with reference topreferred embodiments, workers skilled in the art will recognize thatchanges may be made in form and detail without departing from the spiritand scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A truck bed hitch attachment, for use with atruck having a bed with an underbed frame and a plurality of socketssupported on the underbed frame, the truck bed hitch attachmentcomprising: an insert for each of the plurality of sockets, each insertreceived first vertically without substantial rotation into its socketand then by rotation about a substantially vertical axis of rotation toa terminal point wherein the insert is vertically held by the socket,wherein each insert comprises a leg including at least one pin opening,the leg and pin opening extending above the bed when the insert isvertically held by the socket, the pin opening defining a pin axis whichis offset from the axis of rotation; an above bed hitch structure, heldin place by the inserts, with the above bed hitch structure preventingthe inserts from rotating away from their terminal point and thuspreventing the inserts from being removed from their sockets, the abovebed hitch structure including at least one pin opening which lines upwith the pin opening of at least one insert when the above bed hitchstructure is held in place; a pin for extending simultaneously throughthe pin opening of at least one insert on its pin axis and through thepin opening of the above bed hitch structure, thereby holding the abovebed hitch structure to the insert without having the pin intersect theaxis of rotation of the insert.
 2. The truck bed hitch attachment ofclaim 1, wherein each insert includes a fork with two legs, each legincluding a pin opening, with the fork extending above the bed when theinsert is vertically held by the socket.
 3. The truck bed hitchattachment of claim 2, wherein at least one insert comprises a pegreceived in the socket below the bed, the peg and socket jointlydefining an insert axis of rotation for the insert within the socket,wherein the fork is offset relative to the insert axis of rotation, suchthat the location of the fork in the truck bed moves when the insert isrotated in the socket.
 4. The truck bed hitch attachment of claim 1,wherein the insert comprises a generally cylindrical peg defining a pegaxis and a cleat portion above the cylindrical peg, the cleat portionincluding the pin opening.
 5. The truck bed hitch attachment of claim 1,wherein the pin opening is substantially horizontal when the insert isin the socket.
 6. The truck bed hitch attachment of claim 1, wherein theinsert comprises a projection which mates with a groove on the socket.7. The truck bed hitch attachment of claim 1, wherein at least part ofthe underbed frame is provided by a rail structure, wherein the railstructure supports a separate hitch mechanism.
 8. A truck bed hitchattachment, for use with a truck having a bed with an underbed frame anda plurality of sockets supported on the underbed frame, the truck bedhitch attachment comprising: an insert for each of the plurality ofsockets, each insert received first vertically without substantialrotation into its socket and then by rotation about a substantiallyvertical axis of rotation to a terminal point wherein the insert isvertically held by the socket, wherein each insert comprises a legincluding at least one pin opening, the leg and pin opening extendingabove the bed when the insert is vertically held by the socket, the pinopening being offset from the axis of rotation, wherein each insertincludes a fork with two legs, each leg including a pin opening, withthe fork extending above the bed when the insert is vertically held bythe socket, wherein at least one insert comprises a peg received in thesocket below the bed, the peg and socket jointly defining an insert axisof rotation for the insert within the socket, wherein the fork is offsetrelative to the insert axis of rotation, such that the location of thefork in the truck bed moves when the insert is rotated in the socket,wherein the insert comprises a “T” shaped groove on a cylindrical peg,and wherein the socket comprises a generally cylindrical hole matingwith the cylindrical peg and a projection mating with the “T” shapedgroove, wherein rotation of the insert in one (clockwise orcounterclockwise) direction from its raising/lowering orientation movesthe fork closer to a centerline of the truck, and wherein rotation ofthe insert in the opposite (clockwise or counterclockwise) directionfrom its raising/lowering orientation moves the fork further acenterline of the truck; an above bed hitch structure, held in place bythe inserts, with the above bed hitch structure preventing the insertsfrom rotating away from their terminal point and thus preventing theinserts from being removed from their sockets, the above bed hitchstructure including at least one pin opening which lines up with the pinopening of at least one insert when the above bed hitch structure isheld in place; and a pin for extending simultaneously through the pinopening of at least one insert and the pin opening of the above bedhitch structure, thereby holding the above bed hitch structure to theinsert.
 9. A truck bed hitch attachment, for use with a truck having abed with an underbed frame and a plurality of sockets supported on theunderbed frame, the truck bed hitch attachment comprising: an insert foreach of the plurality of sockets, each insert received first verticallywithout substantial rotation into its socket and then by rotation abouta substantially vertical axis of rotation to a terminal point whereinthe insert is vertically held by the socket, wherein each insertcomprises a leg including at least one pin opening, the leg and pinopening extending above the bed when the insert is vertically held bythe socket, the pin opening being offset from the axis of rotation,wherein each insert comprises: a peg received in the socket below thebed, the peg and socket jointly defining an insert axis of rotation forthe insert within the socket; an above bed hitch structure, held inplace by the inserts, with the above bed hitch structure preventing theinserts from rotating away from their terminal point and thus preventingthe inserts from being removed from their sockets, the above bed hitchstructure including at least one pin opening which lines up with the pinopening of at least one insert when the above bed hitch structure isheld in place, wherein the above bed hitch structure comprises a foothaving a pin opening which can be placed in alignment with the pinopening of the insert with the foot contacting the insert; and a pin forextending simultaneously through the pin opening of at least one insertand the pin opening of the above bed hitch structure, thereby holdingthe above bed hitch structure to the insert; wherein rotation of theinsert in the socket changes the distance from the pin opening to acenterline of the truck, such that the pin opening of the above bedhitch structure can be aligned with the pin opening of the insert ineither of two width-wise positions without changing the fore-aftlocation of the foot.
 10. A truck bed hitch attachment, for use with atruck having a bed with an underbed frame and a plurality of socketssupported on the underbed frame, the truck bed hitch attachmentcomprising: an insert for each of the plurality of sockets, each insertreceived first vertically without substantial rotation into its socketand then by rotation about a substantially vertical axis of rotation toa terminal point wherein the insert is vertically held by the socket,wherein each insert comprises a leg including at least one pin opening,the leg and pin opening extending above the bed when the insert isvertically held by the socket, the pin opening being offset from theaxis of rotation, wherein the insert comprises an “L” shaped channel ona cylindrical peg, and wherein the socket comprises a generallycylindrical hole mating with the cylindrical peg and a projection matingwith the “L” shaped channel; an above bed hitch structure, held in placeby the inserts, with the above bed hitch structure preventing theinserts from rotating away from their terminal point and thus preventingthe inserts from being removed from their sockets, the above bed hitchstructure including at least one pin opening which lines up with the pinopening of at least one insert when the above bed hitch structure isheld in place; and a pin for extending simultaneously through the pinopening of at least one insert and the pin opening of the above bedhitch structure, thereby holding the above bed hitch structure to theinsert.
 11. A method of attaching an above-bed hitch structure into abed of a truck, comprising: dropping a plurality of inserts from abovethe bed downward into a plurality of mating sockets, each of the socketsbeing supported under the plane of the truck bed; rotating each insertwithin its mating socket to a terminal point wherein the insert is heldfrom further vertical movement in the socket without rotation; andattaching an above-bed hitch structure to the inserts, the above-bedhitch structure including a plurality of feet which mate with theinserts and prevent the inserts from rotating, with the attachmentsecuring the above-bed hitch structure in place in the bed of the truck;wherein each insert comprises two flanges projecting from a bed platesection to define an attachment slot, wherein each foot sits on the bedplate section within the attachment slot.
 12. A method of attaching anabove-bed hitch structure into a bed of a truck, comprising: dropping aplurality of inserts from above the bed downward into a plurality ofmating sockets, each of the sockets being supported under the plane ofthe truck bed; rotating each insert within its mating socket to aterminal point wherein the insert is held from further vertical movementin the socket without rotation; and attaching an above-bed hitchstructure to the inserts, the above-bed hitch structure including aplurality of feet which mate with the inserts and prevent the insertsfrom rotating, with the attachment securing the above-bed hitchstructure in place in the bed of the truck; wherein each of the matinginserts and sockets include a projection which mates with acorresponding channel to hold the insert from further vertical movementin the socket without rotation.
 13. An insert for attaching an above-bedhitch structure to a below-bed socket, the insert comprising: anabove-bed cleat portion defining a mounting pin hole with a mounting pinaxis; and a below-bed peg portion projecting from the above-bed cleatportion and defining a peg axis of rotation, wherein the mounting pinaxis is offset from the peg axis of rotation, the below-bed peg portioncomprising one of a locking channel and a lock projection.
 14. Theinsert of claim 13, wherein the below-bed peg portion comprises alocking channel having a vertically extending drop portion and acircumferentially extending rotation portion.
 15. An insert forattaching an above-bed hitch structure to a below-bed socket, the insertcomprising: an above-bed cleat portion defining a mounting pin hole witha mounting pin axis, wherein the above-bed cleat portion comprises twoflanges projecting from a bed plate section to define an attachmentslot, with the mounting pin axis extending generally horizontally overthe attachment slot; and a below-bed peg portion projecting from theabove-bed cleat portion and defining a peg axis of rotation, wherein themounting pin axis is offset from the peg axis of rotation, the below-bedpeg portion comprising one of a locking channel and a lock projection.16. The insert of claim 15, wherein the above-bed cleat portioncomprises further end walls around the attachment slot such thatattachment slot is provided as a rectangular recess above the bed platesection.